Me at ER for cardiac issues

Dr: “Could you be pregnant?”

Me: “No I had a hysterectomy”

Dr: “You look too young for that? Are you sure?”

Me: “I’m confident”

Dr: “I think you might be confused. Maybe it was your appendix.”

Proceeds to order pregnancy test

I’ve had this interaction more times than I can count

Healthcare workers think I’m “too young” to have had a hysterectomy and automatically assume I’m confusing my womb with another organ.

They ask endless questions, only to end up doing a pregnancy test anyways

Perhaps there are patients who confuse their uterus for their appendix, but I would imagine that’s exceedingly rare

The battle I went through to get my hysterectomy was long and arduous. It involved many physicians lecturing me about how I would never be able to have children

Asking insensitive questions like:

“Don’t you want to be a Mom?”

“You might want biological children, many women do”

“What happens if you meet your dream man and he leaves you for being barren?”

You don’t have to endure this type of insulting and misogynistic third degree to get your appendix or gallbladder removed.

They inform you of the surgical risks, you consent, the end.

There’s simply no plausible way to confuse the removal of a WOMB with an appendix

Despite these obvious facts, I’ve had countless doctors assume I’m wrong. That I couldn’t possibly have lost my uterus and it must have been something less important.

I’ve even had “patient CLAIMS hysterectomy”’written in my chart.

Why someone would lie about something so easy to prove or disprove is beyond me.

The end result is always a delay in care while we argue and then wait for an unnecessary pregnancy test which always comes back negative.

Surely we can do better?

I understand that doctors must have a degree of skepticism, and that the price of missing a pregnancy can be incredibly high.

I’m not opposed to them running a pregnancy test if that’s what they feel they need to do.

I am opposed to the delays and gaslighting

It was traumatic to lose my uterus at a young age. The healthcare workers who inundated me with misogynistic questions & put a hypothetical man before me and my health? They didn’t make it any easier.

I feel that trauma all over again whenever I’m questioned about pregnancy

I wish we could endeavour to either TRUST our patient, or just run the pregnancy test without all the unnecessary and (often) rude comments.

I don’t object to the test, I object to the way I’m treated leading up to the test.

Patients know their body best. We know the difference between a womb and an appendix. We know when we’re being talked down to and mistreated.

It causes trauma. Makes us less likely to trust the provider and far less likely to seek care in the future

Please treat your patients with the dignity they deserve. Don’t judge them on how they look, the chronic illness or disability they have or their gender or sexual orientation. Listen to them. Work with them. Let them be a partner in their care.

We can do better together /end
After the hysterectomy I also had a post op complication that was ignored by the ER three times. I had a life threatening internal bleed, but was sent home without tests because they thought I was “exaggerating”.

We MUST listen to patients. I only survived because my accidental advocate stepped up

https://www.disabledginger.com/p/my-most-dangerous-er-experience-and

There’s a lot to unpack in this article:

“on average more than three-quarters of tissue in infected placentas had been damaged, cutting off oxygen & nutrients essential for fetal survival. this damage could occur silently, even in mothers without acute Covid symptoms, offering no warning signs”

Whenever I read studies about the damaging effects of Covid on the fetus - I’m reminded of a friend who was a high risk “geriatric” pregnancy.

She caught Covid in her first trimester and spent weeks in the hospital.

Not a single one of her doctors advised her to mask OR masked around her

Her baby was born full term but low birthweight and months later is still in the bottom percentile for size.

It’s too early to tell if there are more severe issues - but everytime they go to the hospital for a check up - everyone is unmasked.

In the second trimester she passed up a chance to go to Cuba because she was concerned about Zika - yet continued taking no precautions for COVID.

The linked article talks about Zika and the risk it poses to the fetus - and in some ways it appears COVID might carry MORE risk

So why is it that almost every pregnant person knows to avoid Zika - yet they’re taking zero COVID precautions?

Public health failure. If your doctors aren’t masking around you, if the healthcare facility doesn’t require masking, if no one is telling you TO mask … you won’t.

We’ve downplayed the virus so much that folks think it’s just a cold - despite scientific findings like this:

“A cluster of stillbirths in first 3 months of that year prompted doctors to investigate. They discovered that the placentas linked to fetal deaths were infected with the coronavirus…describing them as riddled with lesions likely caused by viral transmission through the maternal bloodstream.”

We’ve known about this for years - yet we don’t advise pregnant people to take precautions.

They avoid soft cheeses, Zika, Sushi etc but NOT a vascular virus that crosses placenta?

We’re entering year 6 of this devastating pandemic. That’s millions of babies born who suffered Covid infections in utero. They may also have multiple infections before they even reach five years of age.

Why aren’t we protecting them?

I understand it must be incredibly hard to protect young children - but we have to at least try. They’re counting on us.

Pregnant people can and should be wearing respirators. Their doctors should be as well.

These kids need the adults to step the F up and make better choices.

H/t @nicktsergas for links

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-12-26/covid-may-have-led-to-autism-and-developmental-delays-in-babies-study-shows